Myths of Foxglove

While today Foxglove is known to help treat Congestive Heart Failure, the plant has been the focal point of many medical myths. Herbalists have used it to try to cure almost anything.

One herbalist used foxglove to cure those who had fallen from high places, while another put foxglove in boiled wine and used it in as an expectorant. Another herbalist used it as an ointment, saying that foxglove was the best possible cure for old sores and scabby heads. Welsh physicians seemed to agree, using it as an external medicine. Some herbalists seemed to simply prescribe foxglove for any complaint. Many times, foxglove was overused, causing horrible side effects.

And besides all the medical untruths about the plant, there were other myths about foxglove. Spots on the foxglove were said to be spots touched by elves. (Similar things were said about the spots on butterfly wings and peacock feathers.) Others believed that the spots were guarding dangerous juices within the plants, earning foxglove the nickname "the dead man's thistle" in Ireland. Others thought the plants served as gloves for fairies, also known as good folk, as common belief said that fairies lived in the same environment as the foxglove.

It is possible that some of the herbalists' claims about foxglove could be true. However, the only scientifically proven use of foxglove is treating Congestive Heart Failure. As the plant can be extremely dangerous if overdosed even slightly, it is not suggested to try to use the plant to cure anything else.

For more information about these myths and other information about the foxglove plant, click here.